Bell-ringing device for buoys and boats



(No Model.) I 2 Sheets-Sheet 1;

G. BERGER.

BELL RINGING DEVICE FOR BUOYS AND BOATS. No. 383,552. Patented May 29, 1888. I

WIT/VESSESf f INVENTOR.

2 Sheets 8heet; 2.

- (No Model.) I

G. BERGER. BELL RINGINGDBVIGE FOR BUOYS AND BOATS.

No.- 383,552. Patented May 29. 1 888.

GUSTAV BERGER, OF STAPLE'ION, NEW' Y ORK.

BELL-RING'ING EEVICE. FOR BUOYS'AND BOATS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 383,552, dated May 29, 1888.

Application filed February 29, 1838. Serial No 265,707. (No'modcLl To all whom, it mctyconccrn:

Be it k nownth at I, Gus'rav BERGER, of Stapleton, in the county of Richmond, State of New York, have invented certain new and use ful Improvements in Bell-Ringing Devices for Buoys and Boats, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in devices for ringing or sounding the bells on buoys and boats anchored at shoals, wrecks, &e., to notify mariners of danger.

The object of my invention is to provide a new and improved mechanism for ringing .or sounding the bells, which mechanism is ofsimple construction, does not injure the hell by unduly wearing out the inner surface of the kit ' broken out.

same, and which mechanism can heremovcd from the bell for cleaning or repairing it Without requiring the removal of the bell, which is usually connected with considerable difiiculties. I

The invention consists in the combination, with a bell, of series of separate hammers in the same and a separate actuating mechanism for each hammer.

The invention further consists in the combination, with said bell, hammers, and actuating mechanism, of a rocking weighted rod' for operating the actuating mechanism.

The invention also consists in the construction and combination of parts and details, as will be fully described and set forth hereinafter, and then pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of an anchored buoy provided with my improved bell-ringing mechanism. Fig. 2 is a top View of the bell and ringing mechanism on a larger scale, parts being Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse sectional view of a belland my improved bellringing mechanismJ .Similar letters of reference-indicate corre sponding parts. i

The ring A, provided with the internal flange, A, is secured to or made integral with the upper ends of a number of posts or standards, B, secured in some suitable manner on the top of the frame B on the buoy 13?, which may be of any welllrnown construction. To the ring A the ends of the shanks of a bellshaped skeleton frame, 0, are secured, and

pended rigidly, thebars of the frame being a short distance from the outer surface of the bell, as shown. The bars of the frame O are braced by one or more transverse rings, 0'.

B a flat bar, E, rests, which is provided with a longitudinal slot, E, and through each slot E two or more screws, F, pass,-which are also passed through holes in the standards or posts bars E can be moved up or down on the inner sides of the standards or posts B, and can be locked in the desired positions on said posts by drawing up or tightening the nuts F.

An -inverted bell-shaped or saucer-shaped plate, G, is secured to lugs on the upper ends of the sliding bars E, and is provided a short distance, inward from its rim with the upwardly andinwardly inclined flange G,which when said plate G is raised, passes into the mouth of the bell and isquitc close to the inner surface of the bell.

The plate G is provided at its center with a centrally-apertured projection, H, on its inner side, this projection being provided in its top witha recess, H, forming a seating ior the screw on a rod, K, passed through the central bottom aperture, G", of the plate G and th rough the central aperture of the projection 11, said apertures. being of sufficient size to permit the rod K to swing in different directions. The plate G is provided with apertures ,i' at the is secured, which can swing and turn within a ring, M, secured to the posts B some distance below the plate G, said ring serving to limit the movements of the weight and prevent it from swinging too far.

A spiderframe, N, is secured to'or made in- G, and on the same six latches, O, are pivoted around the center in such a manner that their upper ends can swing. Each latch 0 is provided with a curved arm, 0, projecting toward the center, and with a weighted arm, 0 projecting in the, opposite direction, the latter rounded lower end of a collar, J held by a setfrom the top of said frame the bell D is sus- On the inner side of each standard or post B, nuts F being screwed on the outer ends of said bolts. 7 When saidnuts are loosened, the i sides of the projection II to permit-the water I that may accumulate on said plateG to How ofi'.

To the lower end of the rod K a weight, L,

tegral with the plate G at the base of the flange iservinggto swing the latches into the upright positionthat is, in'the direction from the center toward the-rim of the plate G. .Said

Q, ion the plate Q extends across the notches Q.

On the lower end of each lever -R a pocket,

T, is formed, which is open at the top, front, a

and bottom and closed .at' the back, and in each pocket T a trigger, U is pivoted eccent-rically, each trigger being provided with'a weighted arm, U, projecting, from its front edge. From the lower end of each lever B an arm, V, projects toward the inner surface of the bell and carriesa hammer-head, V, 'on its 7 bell..

latches O.

- on the topot'- the curved a'rr'n"0*of a latch 01' outer end. At thelower end of each lever B- an arm, W, projects radially from the plate Q, and to the outer end of each arm W and the lower part of each corresponding'lever R the'opp'osite ends of 'a spiral or other spring, W, are secured, which springs serve to draw or throw the swinging ends of the levers R and tliehammerV toward the inner surface of the On the'upper end of the rod} disk,'Y, is fastened, the rounded edges'of which rest on the curved upper edges of the armsO' of the The .belland its applied on a boat or float as'well as on a buoy. Instead of six hammer-heads, V,-'and,..the

;correspondin g operating devices 'for the same. a greater or less number of hammer-headsandoperating devices for the same may be pro5 vided.

When it is desired to clean, inspect, or; repair'the he mmers and'their actuating ,nie'chan ism, the plate G. is lowered, so as to remove? said hammers and mechanism from the; bell.

The operation is as follows: As the buoy or boat carrying bell'sw'in'gs, pitches, and rocks, the rod K'swingsto and fro-in various directions, the lower rounded end of the collard forming the'turning-point "on the projectionthe right, and the right-hand partof the rim of the disk Y is moved downward and presses at the right-hand side of the bell, aud'.P 8 es said arm downward. Thereby the upper end of the latch is moved in the direction of the.

arrow. :0, .Fig. 3, and, acting on'the lower partj of the front edge of the corresponding latch U, presses the same in the direction of the ar-- row :10. As the back of the trigger rests against the closed back of its pocket T, the lower end of the corresponding level-R is moved ringing mechanism can be For example, when the weight L swings tothe left, the upper. end of the-rod swingstoin thedireetion of the arrows, whereby the "spring W'is stretched and thehammer-head V withdrawn from the inner surfaceof the 7.:

U, which is thus released, as'is also the lever 7 3 R and spring W. Said spring contracts'aud throws the lever R toward the inner surface of the-he'll. J ust before the hammer head Y strikes the bell the arm R strikes the ring Q and is arrested; but the hammer head V strikes the bell a sudden quick blow, the clas ticity of the arm V permitting this., vWhen at rest, the hannner-heads are a minimum distance from the inner surface of jthe, bell. When the weight L then swings in the right. direction, the upper end of the rod K swings to'theleft, and'the pressureisremoved from the arm 0 of the right-hand latch O,thus permitting the weighted armO to swingthe 31pper end of said latch O in the inverse direction of the arrow w; The outer bevel at the 1 top of the latch,aeting on thebeveltof the corresponding trigger, raises thefsame, and the latch passes under the trigger and in front of the outer edge of the same. has passed in front of the outer edge of the trigger, the said trigger swings down under the action of its weighted ar'm V or under the action of its-own weight. The weight of the hammer keeps the same a-short distance from the inner surface of the bell when t'hesame is in a state of rest, as shown in Fig. 1. In whatever direction the weight swings, the'disk' Y on the upper end of the rod K at all times acts on anarm O and operates one ofthe ham-- mer-heads. The flange G on theplate G en- After the latch 5 ters the mouth of the bell and prevents the. 4

' waterthat is dashed against the bell from, en-

tering the mouth of the bell. v

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent---.

;1. The combination, with a bell, ofa series ofhammers inthe same, a weighted swinging.

rodextending downward from the bell, and

intermediate actuating levers for operating thham'mers from the upper end of said rod, substantially as herein. shown and described. Y -12. The combination, with'a bell, of a series ,of hammers in the same, a' weighted swinging rod extending downward from the bell, a disk -.on the upper-end." omaia rod, and interme- 'diatelevers .for operating the hammers from said disk, substantially as herein shown and describedr v '3; The combinatiom with aben, of a series jof swinging levers in the same, pivoted latches ':for moving the-hammers from the 'sides-of'th'e bell, a weightedswinging rod extendingdownward from the bell, a disk on the upper end of said rod, which disk depresses-the ends of said latches, whereby the opposite-ends of said latches move the levers from the inner side of its scribed.

4. The combination, with a bell, of a series of levers pivoted to the same, springs acting on the levers and moving them toward theinside of the bell, hammerheads on the lower ends of said levers, triggers pivoted to said hammer-heads, and pivoted latches adjacent to said triggers and serving to move the said.

triggers and hammers from the inner surface of the be1l,and a weighted swinging rod extending downward from the bell and provided on its upper end with adisk that can depress the inner ends of the latches, whereby the outer ends are moved from the inner surface of the bell, and thereby move the inner ends of the hammers in the same direction, substantially as herein shown and described,

o. The combination, with a bell, of a plate secured transversely in the mouth of the bell,

a frame on said plate, hammer-levers pivoted to said frame, latches pivoted on the plate and serving to move the hammers from the inner surface of the bell, and a weighted rod exte'nding downward from said plate, provided on its upper end with a disk that actuates thelatches, substantially as shownand described.

6. The combination, with a bell, of a plate in the month of t-he'same, a weighted swinging rod passed through an aperture in said plate, a collar on said rod, aseat for the collar being formed on the plate, swinging hammers on a frame supported on the plate within the bell,

and latches on the plate, which latches are operated from the swinging rod and serve to operate the hammers, substantiallyas' herein shown and described.

7. The combination, with a bell, of standards supporting the same at its top, leaving the bell-mouth open, sliding bars on said standards, mounted to slide toward and from the mouth of the bell, a plate secured on said sliding bars and adapted to fit in the mouth of the bell, and bell-ringing hammers, and mechanism for actuating the same on the top of said plate, substantially as herein shown and de-' scribed.

8. The combination, with the bell D, ofthe plate G, the spider-frame N, the latches O, pivoted on the frame N, the plate P, the plate S, the levers R, pivoted on the plate E, the

hammer-heads V on the levers R, the trig- 

